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This man is your FRIEND- Corellian Edition

In Star Wars, there is little subtlety to the heavy handed symbolism of the Galactic Empire. In Episodes 1 through 3, we see the rise of Sheev Palpatine from supreme chancellor to emperor, which mirrors the ascent of Adolf Hitler from chancellor of the Weimar Republic to Fuhrer of the Third Reich. The imperial storm troopers share the same title as the German soldiers who fought for the Third Reich in World War II, also several of the imperial officer uniforms resemble Nazi officer attire. There are several sequences showing the Imperial army in formation, and in all of its might, resembling the rallies conducted in Nuremberg during Hitler’s reign. George Lucas was well versed in history while writing Star Wars. He was quoted saying “while the psychological basis of ‘Star Wars’ is mythological, the political and social bases are historical.” It could be said that Star Wars was a parody of real world events, perhaps explaining why it has become so popular.

Against the Empire, was the Rebel Alliance, an interstellar reactionary faction composed of whoever is willing to resist the Galactic Empire. The Rebellion’s tactics resemble guerrilla tactics used by the Vietnamese during the war, which was also the time period in which Star Wars was being written.The image attached features the charismatic Han Solo, a leading figure of the Rebellion in the original trilogy of films. This image is a parody, the format of the original image was used during World War II to represent all of the forces fighting against the Axis Powers. This particular parody was created by Brian George, an artist from Brooklyn, in 2011. The original image featured soldiers from Russia, Britain, Australia, Canada, Ethiopia, China, and Dutch soldiers (Brewer 112). The Rebel Alliance draws soldiers from all around the galaxy, representing several different types of races and species, adding more depth to Han Solo being a “Corellian.” This type of poster proposes unity against an enemy rather than divisiveness. In World War II, there was a disconnect between the public and the war effort, meaning they would not always understand who their allies were or what they looked like. These posters reconciled that, hoping to garner an “us versus them” mentality.

The format of this image has been used for several contemporary cultural events, such as presidential elections, pop culture, video game references, and other parodies. Star Wars in particular is very popular to parody due its several mediums of film, comic books, television shows, and because it has been around for so long, and has been popular that whole time. Also, due to its heavy-handed references to actual historical events, it makes it an easy choice to supplant it over real propaganda campaigns and other social references for parody.

Sources:

Brewer, Susan A. Why America Fights: Patriotism and War Propaganda from the Philippines to Iraq. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.